Despite the cost savings, many consumers avoid purchasing unassembled pieces of furniture because they expect to have problems assembling the items. Most pieces of unassembled furniture are difficult to assemble and usually require hours of labor and additional tools to construct.
Other consumers avoid purchasing unassembled furniture because of concerns about the quality and durability of the furniture. Unassembled furniture has generally been less durable and of lower quality than traditional pre-assembled furniture. Over extended periods of time, the joints in unassembled furniture often become weak causing the piece of furniture to become "wobbly". Furniture with weak joints is annoying and is dangerous when used to support expensive items such as stereo equipment.
In addition to the above-noted dissatisfaction with unassembled furniture, consumers have been unable to find unassembled furniture which meets their needs. Many consumers are becoming increasingly more mobile and want furniture which they can assemble and disassemble and move as needed. Most unassembled furniture is designed for one-time assembly and thus cannot be dismantled for subsequent moves. Other unassembled furniture which can be dismantled for a subsequent moves often have problems with durability, finish and quality as previously discussed. As explained below, prior designs have failed to address these consumer concerns.
Turning to U.S. Pat. No. 470,152 to Buechele, there is disclosed a wardrobe cabinet which is constructed in sections and adapted to be secured together or taken apart. The wardrobe is divided horizontally into several sections i.e., two-body sections, a top section and an ornamental section resting upon the top section. The body sections are adapted to be separated and telescoped one within the other for shipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,009 to Stone, discloses a cabinet. and kit for making the cabinet which can be assembled without tools. The cabinet is supplied in kit form which includes basically only flat walls designed to be assembled into a kitchen cabinet without tools.
U.S. Pat. No. 892,187 to Schriefer, discloses an extensible case comprising a case-section or sections, a top unit and a bottom unit for forming a case in which a shelf or shelves may be positioned, a door or doors, and means for connecting the case, doors and shelves.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 95,504 and 99,460 to Murray et al.; 3,403,641 to Baker; 4,148,454 to Carlson et al.; 1,182,610 to Wiesman; 764,487 to Morrison; 3,675,955 to Hajduk; 3,545,712 to Ellis; and 2,787,037 to Hobbs, all disclose various types of brackets or fastening devices for furniture.
Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to provide a durable knockdown cabinet with a high quality finish, which is easy to assemble.